13 January 2012

Fish in Oxwich Bay

A fisherman showed us this fish that he found washed up on Oxwich Beach at low tide this afternoon, which he identified as a Pilchard (Sardina pilchardus). I'm no fish expert, but it does look very much like the slender-bodied illustration of a Pilchard in my Collins Pocket Guide to Fish of Britain and Europe, said to grow to 28cm. Whilst the Gannets, Shags and Cormorants and Grey Seals would easily take fish of this size, clearly birds such as the Kittiwake, Razorbill and even the larger gulls clearly were feeding on smaller fish than this. - another species or do Pilchards appear in a range of size classes?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice fish - tasty!
Pradeep